Inspired by a Saigonese lunch lady, this Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops (Sườn Nướng) recipe brings back memories of delightful Cơm Tấm breakfasts from her food stall.
The secret tip I picked up from this amazing lunch lady will guide you to whip up the most flavorful, authentic lemongrass pork chops, just like those in Saigon 😉.
Best Cuts For “Sườn Nướng”?
In Vietnam, “Sườn Nướng” doesn’t only refer to grilled pork chops; it can also be spare ribs or even pork shoulder.
- Feel free to substitute pork chops with spare ribs or pork shoulder in this recipe.
- Choose pork chops with some fatty parts and ensure they are not too thick (around 1 cm or 0.4 inches).
If pork chops are your favorite, you could try my recipes for Char Siu Pork Chops or Toyomansi Pork Chops.
Secret ingredients for the marinade
MARINADE
In Vietnam or Thailand, local people often use certain ingredients to tenderize meat for grilling. These might be milk, coconut milk, honey, palm sugar, and brown sugar.
- In Thailand, people often choose evaporated milk, coconut milk, and palm sugar.
- In Vietnam, we love using full-cream milk, condensed milk, honey or brown sugar.
Feel free to get creative with the ingredients; for my recipe, I go for full-cream milk and honey, which are always available in my kitchen.
FLAVORS
Fish sauce: Most Vietnamese dishes can’t be complete without fish sauce.
Lemongrass: Lemongrass is a popular herb in Vietnamese cuisine and SEA cuisines. It is used generously in BBQ, stir-fries, as well as soups and stews. You could substitute with Vietnamese lemongrass chili oil.
Vietnamese 5-spice: this spice goes a little but a long way. Too much 5-spice could overpower the lemongrass flavor. The fragrance of Vietnamese 5-spice is milder than that of Chinese 5-spice.
VIBRANT COLOR
Annatto oil: optional, but it helps create the alluring, vibrant color for the pork chops. You could skip this ingredient if you use the Sate sauce (Vietnamese lemongrass chili oil) or replace it with some paprika powder and cooking oil.
Related Recipes | If you love the flavor of lemongrass, you could also try
(Vietnamese Beef Stew with Tapioca Noodles)
(Vietnamese Spicy Lemongrass Chicken)
(Thai stir-fried chicken with red curry)
(Rice Noodle Salad with Lemongrass Beef)
How to serve
Lemongrass pork chops are a key component of a Cơm Tấm platter. In addition to the pork chops, a full plate of Cơm Tấm typically includes:
You could make a simplified version with just the pork chop, scallion oil, pickled vegetables, and dipping fish sauce. This is called “Cơm Sườn” or “Cơm Sườn Nướng”.
For the steamed rice, the best choice is broken rice (“gạo tấm” in Vietnamese), but steamed jasmine rice works fine too. To save time, you could try my quick and easy microwave jasmine rice.
Best Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chops (Sườn Nướng)
Ingredients
Marinade sauce:
- 0.8 lb pork chops (350g)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp Vietnamese Sate Sauce (or 1 tbsp finely minced lemongrass + 2 tbsp annatto oil)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp Vietnamese five-spice powder
- 4 tbsp full-cream milk
Condiments:
- Vietnamese scallion oil
- Vietnamese dipping fish sauce
- Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon
Instructions
- Start by preparing the pork chops. Snip the edges of the pork chops. Make about 3-5 cuts per chop, 1 inch (2.5cm) deep each. It helps the pork chops remain flat while grilling or pan-frying. Then pound them to tenderize.
- In a bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients.
- Place the pork chops in a bowl or sealable bag and pour the marinade over them, making sure they are evenly coated. Let them marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight for the best flavor.
- Before cooking, let the pork chops rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
- Pan-fry: Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Pan-fry each side of the pork chop for about 3-4 minutes, adjusting the cooking time according to the thickness of the chops (0.4 inches/1 cm).
- Grill (the traditional method, yielding the best results): Heat your grill to medium-high heat. Place the pork chops on the grill and cook them for 5-6 minutes on each side. Cooking time can vary based on the thickness of your chops.
- Cook with Air-fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (180°C). Place the marinated pork chops in the air fryer basket and air fry them for 10 minutes. Then, flip the pork chops, increase the temperature to 390°F (200°C), and cook the pork for an additional 5-7 minutes
- Serve the pork chops alongside steame rice, scallion oil, dipping fish sauce, and pickled veggies.
